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OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Sunday was day four of the four-day course for Hazmat Technician Training.

Fire departments from across southeast Iowa attended the course at IHCC’s Rural Emergency Service Training Center.

Officials said that unlike fighting fires where quickness is key, when dealing with hazmat everything slows down because there are a lot of unknown variables.

The training consisted of two days in the classroom and two days of putting what was learned into action.

“We took a chemical that you would see here in Wapello County and simulated an incident of where they would have to go in, follow all the procedures that they learned, figure out what they need to do, and how they would react with the manufacturer and what kind of decisions they would make. It kind of allows them to simulate doing an actual event which is really good training for us,” said Josh Stevens, Wapello County Emergency  Management Coordinator.

Those that took the class told KTVO that they feel prepared for any type of situation after this training.